Post by D6 on Dec 25, 2023 0:21:11 GMT -5
Thoughts in Blue:
Instant observations: Lions win first NFC North crown, bring playoffs to Ford Field
Instant observations: Lions win first NFC North crown, bring playoffs to Ford Field
Updated: Dec. 24, 2023, 5:45 p.m.|Published: Dec. 24, 2023, 4:26 p.m.
Detroit Lions at Minnesota VikingsBenjamin Raven
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
MINNEAPOLIS -- Up is down, black is white and hell has frozen over in the Minnesota winter.
The Detroit Lions are division champs.
Let’s say that one more time: The Detroit Lions are division champs.
**** Tremendous accomplishment by the Lions, in what was a tremendous game! Despite numerous key injuries during the game, on top of the injuries the Vikings were dealing with going into the game, they gave the Lions a heck of a battle. Any team with Justin Jefferson on the field is extremely dangerous. Thankfully, the Lions were able to prevent Jefferson from winning the game for the Vikings. ****
The Lions knocked off the Minnesota Vikings 30-24 on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium, securing their first NFC North crown since the North became a thing in 2002. Even the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had won their division more recently, and the Bucs haven’t been in their division in 20 years.
They hadn’t won a division title of any kind since taking the old NFC Central in 1993, a 30-year drought that was the longest in the league. They finished last in 12 of those seasons since, nearly as many as the rest of their division combined.
Only three players on the 53-man roster -- guard Graham Glasgow, long snapper Jake McQuaide and backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater -- were even on the planet the last time this team won a title.
****Taylor Decker, a 4th Lions player, was less than 5 months old when the Lions Won the 1993 NFC Central Division Title. ****
Then along came Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes.
The Lions captured the imagination of the nation by winning eight of their final 10 games last season, and dreamed big while cleaning out their lockers after the memorable finale in Green Bay.
“Division champs, that’s obviously the goal,” star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said that day. “If you’re division champs, you’re in the playoffs. We want to make the playoffs. We want to be division champs.”
Now, they are.
And they are.
****Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes did an outstanding job building the Lions into the 2023 NFC North Champions. The Lions came a very long way from when Holmes and Campbell took over in January, 2021, in their respective roles. Their planning and patience already paid off big time! ****
The Lions improved 11-4 with the victory, and have gone wire-to-wire to capture the North, plus the home playoff game that comes with it. They tentatively hold the No. 2 seed on their side of the bracket, pending whatever happens with Dallas later in the day. Detroit finishes the season by traveling to Dallas on Saturday night for a prime-time showcase that will have enormous seeding implications, before wrapping up this historic campaign with another game against Minnesota at Ford Field.
**** The Lions have a huge challenge ahead to get at least the # 2 seed. Dallas is 7-0 at home and has been dominant at home! Thankfully, it didn't look like the Lions suffered any significant injuries today in Minnesota. ****
The Vikings (7-8) are also among the leading candidates to face Detroit in the first round of the playoffs, presenting a unique -- and difficult -- situation where the teams could square off three times in four weeks.
****The Vikings are in serious trouble, regarding their Wildcard chances. In addition to the LA Rams and Seattle winning their respective games, the Vikings injury situation on both sides of the ball will make it very difficult for them to get into the playoffs as a Wildcard. ****
The Lions roared to a 30-21 lead in the fourth quarter on long scoring drives that ended in a 1-yard touchdown catch by Amon-Ra St. Brown and a 3-yard touchdown run by Jahmyr Gibbs, his second time finding the end zone on the day. But the Vikings never went away, tacking on a field goal on offense before getting a huge stop on defense. That gave Minnesota the ball with a chance to take the lead in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
**** The Lions were forced to Punt on consecutive possessions in the 4th QTR, following Jahmyr Gibbs' 2nd rushing TD of the game. The 2nd possession could have cost the Lions the game. A False Start Penalty on Josh Reynolds (I barely noticed the movement when looking at the play on TV a few times) and the Delay of Game are mistakes that the Lions were fortunate to overcome by stopping the Vikings from scoring a TD on their final possession). ****
Edge rusher Romeo Okwara looked like he might have killed the last-minute threat when he rocked Nick Mullens for a sack-fumble, but Johnson Cominsky made a critical mistake when he failed to jump on the ball, instead of trying to scoop-and-run. The Lions only needed to acquire possession to win the game, and when the ball bounced out of Cominsky’s hands, Minnesota had another shot to take the division race to another week.
**** Thankfully, John Cominsky and his teammates can learn from his mistake following a Division securing win. Huge mistake by Cominsky, following a great play by Romeo Okwara. ****
Go ahead, admit it. That’s the sort of blunder that has haunted the Lions forever, and if they lost this game, with tough matchups against Dallas and Minnesota looming to end the season, well, things were starting to feel a little Lionsy.
****Despite being in 3rd and 27, I knew the game was far from over. ****
One play later, Mullens connected with Justin Jefferson on a 28-yard pass that moved Minnesota onto Detroit’s side of the 50.
Gulp.
**** It was an All-Pro caliber catch, despite Cam Sutton and Kerby Joseph being right with Justin Jefferson as they leaped for the ball. ****
But this time, the Lions came through -- and this time, it came courtesy of Ifeatu Melifonwu, who has been a revelation since cracking the lineup three weeks ago. He sacked Mullens twice earlier in the game, then picked him off near the goal line in the final seconds to secure Detroit’s first division title in 30 years.
****Ifeatu Melifonwu definitely should be in the conversation for NFC Defensive Player of the Week for the 2nd straight week! Iffy easily could have saved the Lions season with his big plays in back to back games.****
With that, the Lions have officially gone wire to wire in a division they had never won, and while they have two important games remaining for seeding purposes, they’ve already secured the first home playoff game in the history of Ford Field.
Mission: Accomplished.
**** The Lions should celebrate tonight and tomorrow. With a short week, Tuesday begins the process for the players to begin full preparation for the game at Dallas. ****
Let’s get to some more observations:
-- Now here’s an interesting question: When Ceedy Duce returns in the next week or two, what if it’s not Ifeatu Melifonwu who goes to the bench? Like, how can you possibly send that guy to the bench after what he’s done in three weeks as a starter? He had a sack that was nearly a sack-fumble early last week against Denver, finished with two quarterback hits overall, two passes defended, plus delivered a career-high nine tackles. That was a breakout performance. And it didn’t compare to his impact in Minnesota.
****Iffy did have a sack-forced fumble early vs. Denver that Isaiah Buggs recovered. ****
Melifonwu finally ended the game by picking off Nick Mullens deep over the middle with 49 seconds left, and Minnesota on the move. He also sacked Mullens twice on blitzes, one of which forced a fumble. Get this: He’s now the first defensive back in team history with multiple sacks in the same game.
**** Instant replay led to the forced fumble on Iffy's first sack being a sack, with Nick Mullens being down before the ball came out. I thought it was the correct reversal. That doesn't take away anything from what Iffy accomplished in this game. Differential performance for the 2nd straight week! It's great to see the first player the Lions drafted from the Matthew Stafford trade seal a Division Clinching win for the Lions. ****
There is a case to be made Melifonwu is playing better than Kerby Joseph, who has struggled to live up to his breakout rookie campaign from a year ago. Joseph was beaten deep twice on the first drive against Minnesota, setting up the Vikings’ first score. He did pick off Mullens twice later in the game, including on a desperation heave on third-and-long in the fourth quarter, but was also flagged for a ridiculous unnecessary roughness when he lit up Justin Jefferson on a second-and-long bomb late in the fourth quarter. He plays reckless, and his performance has been uneven all season. Don’t be surprised if you see the Lions at least consider finding a way to keep Melifonwu on the field when Duce returns to the lineup. Which should happen very soon.
**** I'm not sure what Kerby Joseph could have done to ensure he made the tackle on Justin Jefferson. I understand why the penalty was called but I'm reluctant to criticize Joseph on the hit/ tackle that brought Jefferson down. ****
-- In the biggest moments of the highest-stakes game of the season, Amon-Ra St. Brown shined most. Like you’d expect anything else. The former fourth-round pick has smashed record books in his three years in Detroit, and just added another 12 catches for 106 yards and one go-ahead touchdown. That pushes him across the 100-catch mark for the second time in his three-year career -- something only one other player has managed in an entire career in franchise history. And that player wasn’t even Calvin Johnson, but Herman Moore.
****Amon-Ra St. Brown again performed at a high level in a high stakes game! ****
But St. Brown is way more than just a stat stuffer. He’s at his most lethal in key situations, particularly on third down. And when the Lions suddenly found themselves trailing in the third quarter, St. Brown racked up five catches for 53 yards in that frame alone. One scored a go-ahead touchdown, while another went for 24 yards on third down, moving the chains on a drive that wound up going 14 plays and finished with another Jahmyr Gibbs touchdown run. That extended Detroit’s lead to 30-21, and gave them just enough cushion to hang on.
**** The Jared Goff-Amon-Ra St. Brown delivered in the clutch on several plays in this game.****
-- The Lions insisted the T.J. Hockenson trade was in the best interest of the organization, and they would have pulled the trigger even if they would have been 5-1 instead of 1-5 at last year’s trade deadline. Boy, were they right. Hockenson has played really good ball in Minnesota, racking up the most catches by any tight end in the league, and the most yards of anyone not named Travis Kelce. But they also replaced him by spending a second-round pick on Sam LaPorta, who has gone on to become the most productive rookie tight end in franchise history. He added another three catches against Minnesota, bringing his season total to 74, second among all rookie tight ends in NFL history. Keith Jackson holds the all-time record at 81.
Given what they would have had to pay Hockenson to keep him in Detroit -- and the cheap rookie contract that now controls LaPorta for the three years beyond this one -- that trade is looking like another home run by Brad Holmes.
****Sam LaPorta is already a better blocking than T.J. Hockenson and he's better at gaining yards after the catch than Hock. Having said that, Hock is a tremendous route runner. Hopefully, the knee injury Hock suffered isn't a major injury. ****
-- Speaking of home-run trades by Holmes, LaPorta was acquired with the pick Detroit added in the trade back in the first round of this year’s draft. A trade that also net them Jahmyr Gibbs at 12th overall, who is now rolling toward the finish line as one of the most explosive running backs in the league. He added a league-high 11th run of 20 yards against Minnesota, finished with 100 yards from scrimmage overall and scored twice, one of which extended the lead to 30-21 with 11:07 left. Of course, Gibbs also had a fumble in the first half. He might not be perfect, but week in and week out, he’s pretty damn good these days. Gibbs now has 13 games with 50 yards from scrimmage this season, tied for third most by any rookie in franchise history.
****Great job by Jahmyr Gibbs not letting the fumble adversely affect his play afterwards. Gibbs forced 3 missed tackles on a critical 3rd and 4th Red Zone reception that gave the Lions a 1st Down in the early part of the 4th QTR. Differential player!****
Detroit rookies now account for 20 touchdowns overall, a new franchise record that had been shared by the rookie classes in 1989 (which was headlined by Barry Sanders) and 1980 (which was led by Billy Sims).
**** The Lions need to provide Brad Holmes a long term contract extension this coming off-season! ****
-- Not to be the bearer of bad news, but Michael Badgley’s second game as the Lions’ new kicker was a bit shaky. He split the uprights on a 37-yard field goal, but knuckled in a point-after try and had another blocked. He remains on the practice squad, and has one elevation left. Detroit’s kicker situation remains a situation to monitor heading into the postseason.
**** The blocked PAT isn't Michael Badgley's fault. Yet, even factoring that in, the Lions have uncertainty at Kicker. ****
-- Brian Branch is one of the best rookie defensive backs in the league, but he opened this pivotal game by making two crushing mistakes on back-to-back plays, first getting flagged for defensive holding in the end zone on a third-down stop to open the game, then dropping a Nick Mullens pass that hit him in both hands on the very next play. But Branch atoned for his mistakes well, picking off a fourth-down pass later in the half, separating Mullens from the football on a crushing sack-fumble on the very next drive, plus breaking up a pass for K.J. Osborn on the final drive of the game.
****Brian Branch probably should have knocked the ball he intercepted down, as the 4th Down interception cost the Lions close to 20 yards. The drop on the Vikings first drive which would have kept the Vikings off the scoreboard was a much easier ball to secure than his 2 interceptions prior to this game. I'm optimistic Branch will come down with an interception the next time he has a similar opportunity. ****
...........
This new thread is a continuation of the following threads:
Lions at Vikings preview: Game # 15 ( 2023 )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/1973/lions-vikings-preview-game-2023
Lions 42, Broncos 17: Game # 14 ( 2023 )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/1967/lions-42-broncos-game-2023
Lions path to the NFC North Title (2023 Season)
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/1968/lions-path-north-title-season
Instant observations: Lions win first NFC North crown, bring playoffs to Ford Field
Instant observations: Lions win first NFC North crown, bring playoffs to Ford Field
Updated: Dec. 24, 2023, 5:45 p.m.|Published: Dec. 24, 2023, 4:26 p.m.
Detroit Lions at Minnesota VikingsBenjamin Raven
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
MINNEAPOLIS -- Up is down, black is white and hell has frozen over in the Minnesota winter.
The Detroit Lions are division champs.
Let’s say that one more time: The Detroit Lions are division champs.
**** Tremendous accomplishment by the Lions, in what was a tremendous game! Despite numerous key injuries during the game, on top of the injuries the Vikings were dealing with going into the game, they gave the Lions a heck of a battle. Any team with Justin Jefferson on the field is extremely dangerous. Thankfully, the Lions were able to prevent Jefferson from winning the game for the Vikings. ****
The Lions knocked off the Minnesota Vikings 30-24 on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium, securing their first NFC North crown since the North became a thing in 2002. Even the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had won their division more recently, and the Bucs haven’t been in their division in 20 years.
They hadn’t won a division title of any kind since taking the old NFC Central in 1993, a 30-year drought that was the longest in the league. They finished last in 12 of those seasons since, nearly as many as the rest of their division combined.
Only three players on the 53-man roster -- guard Graham Glasgow, long snapper Jake McQuaide and backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater -- were even on the planet the last time this team won a title.
****Taylor Decker, a 4th Lions player, was less than 5 months old when the Lions Won the 1993 NFC Central Division Title. ****
Then along came Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes.
The Lions captured the imagination of the nation by winning eight of their final 10 games last season, and dreamed big while cleaning out their lockers after the memorable finale in Green Bay.
“Division champs, that’s obviously the goal,” star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said that day. “If you’re division champs, you’re in the playoffs. We want to make the playoffs. We want to be division champs.”
Now, they are.
And they are.
****Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes did an outstanding job building the Lions into the 2023 NFC North Champions. The Lions came a very long way from when Holmes and Campbell took over in January, 2021, in their respective roles. Their planning and patience already paid off big time! ****
The Lions improved 11-4 with the victory, and have gone wire-to-wire to capture the North, plus the home playoff game that comes with it. They tentatively hold the No. 2 seed on their side of the bracket, pending whatever happens with Dallas later in the day. Detroit finishes the season by traveling to Dallas on Saturday night for a prime-time showcase that will have enormous seeding implications, before wrapping up this historic campaign with another game against Minnesota at Ford Field.
**** The Lions have a huge challenge ahead to get at least the # 2 seed. Dallas is 7-0 at home and has been dominant at home! Thankfully, it didn't look like the Lions suffered any significant injuries today in Minnesota. ****
The Vikings (7-8) are also among the leading candidates to face Detroit in the first round of the playoffs, presenting a unique -- and difficult -- situation where the teams could square off three times in four weeks.
****The Vikings are in serious trouble, regarding their Wildcard chances. In addition to the LA Rams and Seattle winning their respective games, the Vikings injury situation on both sides of the ball will make it very difficult for them to get into the playoffs as a Wildcard. ****
The Lions roared to a 30-21 lead in the fourth quarter on long scoring drives that ended in a 1-yard touchdown catch by Amon-Ra St. Brown and a 3-yard touchdown run by Jahmyr Gibbs, his second time finding the end zone on the day. But the Vikings never went away, tacking on a field goal on offense before getting a huge stop on defense. That gave Minnesota the ball with a chance to take the lead in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
**** The Lions were forced to Punt on consecutive possessions in the 4th QTR, following Jahmyr Gibbs' 2nd rushing TD of the game. The 2nd possession could have cost the Lions the game. A False Start Penalty on Josh Reynolds (I barely noticed the movement when looking at the play on TV a few times) and the Delay of Game are mistakes that the Lions were fortunate to overcome by stopping the Vikings from scoring a TD on their final possession). ****
Edge rusher Romeo Okwara looked like he might have killed the last-minute threat when he rocked Nick Mullens for a sack-fumble, but Johnson Cominsky made a critical mistake when he failed to jump on the ball, instead of trying to scoop-and-run. The Lions only needed to acquire possession to win the game, and when the ball bounced out of Cominsky’s hands, Minnesota had another shot to take the division race to another week.
**** Thankfully, John Cominsky and his teammates can learn from his mistake following a Division securing win. Huge mistake by Cominsky, following a great play by Romeo Okwara. ****
Go ahead, admit it. That’s the sort of blunder that has haunted the Lions forever, and if they lost this game, with tough matchups against Dallas and Minnesota looming to end the season, well, things were starting to feel a little Lionsy.
****Despite being in 3rd and 27, I knew the game was far from over. ****
One play later, Mullens connected with Justin Jefferson on a 28-yard pass that moved Minnesota onto Detroit’s side of the 50.
Gulp.
**** It was an All-Pro caliber catch, despite Cam Sutton and Kerby Joseph being right with Justin Jefferson as they leaped for the ball. ****
But this time, the Lions came through -- and this time, it came courtesy of Ifeatu Melifonwu, who has been a revelation since cracking the lineup three weeks ago. He sacked Mullens twice earlier in the game, then picked him off near the goal line in the final seconds to secure Detroit’s first division title in 30 years.
****Ifeatu Melifonwu definitely should be in the conversation for NFC Defensive Player of the Week for the 2nd straight week! Iffy easily could have saved the Lions season with his big plays in back to back games.****
With that, the Lions have officially gone wire to wire in a division they had never won, and while they have two important games remaining for seeding purposes, they’ve already secured the first home playoff game in the history of Ford Field.
Mission: Accomplished.
**** The Lions should celebrate tonight and tomorrow. With a short week, Tuesday begins the process for the players to begin full preparation for the game at Dallas. ****
Let’s get to some more observations:
-- Now here’s an interesting question: When Ceedy Duce returns in the next week or two, what if it’s not Ifeatu Melifonwu who goes to the bench? Like, how can you possibly send that guy to the bench after what he’s done in three weeks as a starter? He had a sack that was nearly a sack-fumble early last week against Denver, finished with two quarterback hits overall, two passes defended, plus delivered a career-high nine tackles. That was a breakout performance. And it didn’t compare to his impact in Minnesota.
****Iffy did have a sack-forced fumble early vs. Denver that Isaiah Buggs recovered. ****
Melifonwu finally ended the game by picking off Nick Mullens deep over the middle with 49 seconds left, and Minnesota on the move. He also sacked Mullens twice on blitzes, one of which forced a fumble. Get this: He’s now the first defensive back in team history with multiple sacks in the same game.
**** Instant replay led to the forced fumble on Iffy's first sack being a sack, with Nick Mullens being down before the ball came out. I thought it was the correct reversal. That doesn't take away anything from what Iffy accomplished in this game. Differential performance for the 2nd straight week! It's great to see the first player the Lions drafted from the Matthew Stafford trade seal a Division Clinching win for the Lions. ****
There is a case to be made Melifonwu is playing better than Kerby Joseph, who has struggled to live up to his breakout rookie campaign from a year ago. Joseph was beaten deep twice on the first drive against Minnesota, setting up the Vikings’ first score. He did pick off Mullens twice later in the game, including on a desperation heave on third-and-long in the fourth quarter, but was also flagged for a ridiculous unnecessary roughness when he lit up Justin Jefferson on a second-and-long bomb late in the fourth quarter. He plays reckless, and his performance has been uneven all season. Don’t be surprised if you see the Lions at least consider finding a way to keep Melifonwu on the field when Duce returns to the lineup. Which should happen very soon.
**** I'm not sure what Kerby Joseph could have done to ensure he made the tackle on Justin Jefferson. I understand why the penalty was called but I'm reluctant to criticize Joseph on the hit/ tackle that brought Jefferson down. ****
-- In the biggest moments of the highest-stakes game of the season, Amon-Ra St. Brown shined most. Like you’d expect anything else. The former fourth-round pick has smashed record books in his three years in Detroit, and just added another 12 catches for 106 yards and one go-ahead touchdown. That pushes him across the 100-catch mark for the second time in his three-year career -- something only one other player has managed in an entire career in franchise history. And that player wasn’t even Calvin Johnson, but Herman Moore.
****Amon-Ra St. Brown again performed at a high level in a high stakes game! ****
But St. Brown is way more than just a stat stuffer. He’s at his most lethal in key situations, particularly on third down. And when the Lions suddenly found themselves trailing in the third quarter, St. Brown racked up five catches for 53 yards in that frame alone. One scored a go-ahead touchdown, while another went for 24 yards on third down, moving the chains on a drive that wound up going 14 plays and finished with another Jahmyr Gibbs touchdown run. That extended Detroit’s lead to 30-21, and gave them just enough cushion to hang on.
**** The Jared Goff-Amon-Ra St. Brown delivered in the clutch on several plays in this game.****
-- The Lions insisted the T.J. Hockenson trade was in the best interest of the organization, and they would have pulled the trigger even if they would have been 5-1 instead of 1-5 at last year’s trade deadline. Boy, were they right. Hockenson has played really good ball in Minnesota, racking up the most catches by any tight end in the league, and the most yards of anyone not named Travis Kelce. But they also replaced him by spending a second-round pick on Sam LaPorta, who has gone on to become the most productive rookie tight end in franchise history. He added another three catches against Minnesota, bringing his season total to 74, second among all rookie tight ends in NFL history. Keith Jackson holds the all-time record at 81.
Given what they would have had to pay Hockenson to keep him in Detroit -- and the cheap rookie contract that now controls LaPorta for the three years beyond this one -- that trade is looking like another home run by Brad Holmes.
****Sam LaPorta is already a better blocking than T.J. Hockenson and he's better at gaining yards after the catch than Hock. Having said that, Hock is a tremendous route runner. Hopefully, the knee injury Hock suffered isn't a major injury. ****
-- Speaking of home-run trades by Holmes, LaPorta was acquired with the pick Detroit added in the trade back in the first round of this year’s draft. A trade that also net them Jahmyr Gibbs at 12th overall, who is now rolling toward the finish line as one of the most explosive running backs in the league. He added a league-high 11th run of 20 yards against Minnesota, finished with 100 yards from scrimmage overall and scored twice, one of which extended the lead to 30-21 with 11:07 left. Of course, Gibbs also had a fumble in the first half. He might not be perfect, but week in and week out, he’s pretty damn good these days. Gibbs now has 13 games with 50 yards from scrimmage this season, tied for third most by any rookie in franchise history.
****Great job by Jahmyr Gibbs not letting the fumble adversely affect his play afterwards. Gibbs forced 3 missed tackles on a critical 3rd and 4th Red Zone reception that gave the Lions a 1st Down in the early part of the 4th QTR. Differential player!****
Detroit rookies now account for 20 touchdowns overall, a new franchise record that had been shared by the rookie classes in 1989 (which was headlined by Barry Sanders) and 1980 (which was led by Billy Sims).
**** The Lions need to provide Brad Holmes a long term contract extension this coming off-season! ****
-- Not to be the bearer of bad news, but Michael Badgley’s second game as the Lions’ new kicker was a bit shaky. He split the uprights on a 37-yard field goal, but knuckled in a point-after try and had another blocked. He remains on the practice squad, and has one elevation left. Detroit’s kicker situation remains a situation to monitor heading into the postseason.
**** The blocked PAT isn't Michael Badgley's fault. Yet, even factoring that in, the Lions have uncertainty at Kicker. ****
-- Brian Branch is one of the best rookie defensive backs in the league, but he opened this pivotal game by making two crushing mistakes on back-to-back plays, first getting flagged for defensive holding in the end zone on a third-down stop to open the game, then dropping a Nick Mullens pass that hit him in both hands on the very next play. But Branch atoned for his mistakes well, picking off a fourth-down pass later in the half, separating Mullens from the football on a crushing sack-fumble on the very next drive, plus breaking up a pass for K.J. Osborn on the final drive of the game.
****Brian Branch probably should have knocked the ball he intercepted down, as the 4th Down interception cost the Lions close to 20 yards. The drop on the Vikings first drive which would have kept the Vikings off the scoreboard was a much easier ball to secure than his 2 interceptions prior to this game. I'm optimistic Branch will come down with an interception the next time he has a similar opportunity. ****
...........
This new thread is a continuation of the following threads:
Lions at Vikings preview: Game # 15 ( 2023 )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/1973/lions-vikings-preview-game-2023
Lions 42, Broncos 17: Game # 14 ( 2023 )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/1967/lions-42-broncos-game-2023
Lions path to the NFC North Title (2023 Season)
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/1968/lions-path-north-title-season